North Korea test fires two ballistic missiles - report

North Korea has test launched a ballistic missile in the direction of the Sea of Japan, Yonhap news agency reported citing South Korean military sources.

North Korea test launched two ballistic missiles on Thursday in the direction of the Sea of Japan, NHK television channel reported citing the Japan Coast Guard. Both missiles were fired within a 15-minute interval.

"The Japanese government says North Korea has launched what appear to have been two ballistic missiles," according to NHK. "Officials in Tokyo say the projectiles appear to have fallen outside Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone. The Japan Coast Guard says it has not received any reports of damage to ships connected to Japan."

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told journalists commenting on the reported launches that such steps on behalf of North Korea "are unacceptable and pose a threat to security."

Yasukazu Hamada, the Japanese defense minister, said Tokyo voiced a resolute protest.

"We have voiced a resolute protest via diplomatic channels in Beijing. Such actions violate the UN Security Council resolutions," Hamada said.

According to the Japanese defense minister, "one missile covered the distance of 350 kilometers at the maximum altitude of 100 kilometers, while the other flew at a distance of some 800 kilometers reaching the altitude of 50 kilometers."

Yonhap news agency confirmed the news and, citing the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), reported that "one SRBM [short-range ballistic missile] flew more than 350 kilometers at an apogee of roughly 80 kilometers, with the other traveling around 800 kilometers at the maximum altitude of some 60 kilometers."

Yonhap also quoted the JCS as saying in a statement after the reported launches that "North Korea's continued ballistic missile launches are a grave provocative action that threatens not only the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula but also the international society."